Britain's Empire was a matter for pride, not guilt - as Indians know
- Thread starter Blackleaf
- Start date
One of the things I note about the OP is the bemused way in which the Indian writer talks about the hand-wringing guilt which is so common among western liberals about their countrys' past. No such guilt exists in other countries. You won't find Muslim historians agonizing over the guilt they feel at the slaughter imposed on the Indian people by waves of Muslim warlords and conquerors, for example. Japanese historians aren't wrapped up in self loathing over Japan's colonial past. The Russians could not care less about some of the nasty things their governments did abroad then or now. Only western liberal historians wrap themselves in hair shirts and bow their heads to the world for the supposed evil transgressions of their ancestors. Even though on a world scale those transgressions were mostly comparatively slight. I mean, was Britain racist in its colonial rule over India? Sure. Was it far and away better than that of the muslim conquerors they supplanted? Most definitely.
But wasn't part of any Empire. Canada was Corporate owned by and run completely separate of the Empire by Prince Rupert. Even had its own flag.
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Still British, though.
And Canada became a country in 1867 - under the British. Had you been, God forbid, a French or Spanish or Greek colony at that time they might have divvied the territory up and made it several different countries, and Canada would never have existed.
You speak English. Your parliamentary system, monarchy, and system of law is based on the British system. Your army regimental system is based on Britain's. The British founded your capital city, just as the Romans founded ours. Canada is a creation of the British.
The charter of 1670 made the Hudson's Bay Company 'true and absolute Lordes and Proprietors' of Rupert's Land, the vast drainage area of the Hudson Bay basin. This is equal to almost a million and a half square miles of western and northern Canada, more than 40% of the modern nation.
By the Deed of Surrender in 1869 the HBC agreed to transfer Rupert's Land back to the crown. In 1870 the territory was incorporated into the new Dominion of Canada. In compensation the HBC received a large sum of money and substantial land holdings.
It's not much different to how the East India Company ruled India between 1757 and 1858, when India came under the direct control of the Crown. But you'd still consider India to have been part of the British Empire before 1858.
Chile away HBC and New France, Britain only had control of a tiny piece of North America and damn near lost it in 1812 if it weren't for former Americans who moved north to remain loyal to the Crown.
It wasn't until 1870 that British Empire had substantial real estate when HBC holding were bought but now it's all gone.
It wasn't until 1870 that British Empire had substantial real estate when HBC holding were bought but now it's all gone.
Britain was one of the most bloodthirsty regimes on earth it was what it
accused Germany of being at one time an imperialist fascist state run by
the most racist and pompass regimes the world ever knew aside from
France, the Spaniards the Portuguese and the Dutch of course
accused Germany of being at one time an imperialist fascist state run by
the most racist and pompass regimes the world ever knew aside from
France, the Spaniards the Portuguese and the Dutch of course
People hate the English now but in the future they will be like whoa they were all cool and stuff.
Look at the Mongols for example and the way our society looks at them now. What we think they were actually like is nothing like they were actually like.
Look at the Mongols for example and the way our society looks at them now. What we think they were actually like is nothing like they were actually like.
Britain came to the party late. New France was started by the French in 1535. They never ceded the property until 1763. The French were here for over 200 years before the Brits even had a clue what was on this side of the Atlantic. The Hudson's Bay co. was founded in 1670 - 135 years after the French got here.
Any nation that governs another country or territory will leave its mark, but the Brits had nothing to do with the founding of Canada. Hudson's Bay had nothing to do with it. The French came here and stayed. If anyone gets the credit, they do.
Google Hudson's Bay or the Treaty of 1763 and you will find that New France was given to England as a result of them defeating France in the 7 Years War. They got an established colony with ports, trading, an economy, (what is now referred to as infrastructure) etc. that the French had put in place. It had existed for over 228 years.
As always, BL said something stupid. Stop feeding the troll.
Any nation that governs another country or territory will leave its mark, but the Brits had nothing to do with the founding of Canada. Hudson's Bay had nothing to do with it. The French came here and stayed. If anyone gets the credit, they do.
Google Hudson's Bay or the Treaty of 1763 and you will find that New France was given to England as a result of them defeating France in the 7 Years War. They got an established colony with ports, trading, an economy, (what is now referred to as infrastructure) etc. that the French had put in place. It had existed for over 228 years.
As always, BL said something stupid. Stop feeding the troll.